Dec
10
Post Workout Meals
Filed Under Eating Healthy, Work Out | 1 Comment
I’ve tried a lot of post workout meals over the years. Some were good, some were bad and some were really bad. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Bad Post Workout Meals
Light snacks like fruit are usually pretty bad. I like these before a workout for a quick burst of energy that doesn’t weight me down. Post workout, all they do is make me hungry. If I have an apple or an orange after I work out, I actually feel hungrier after eating it. So I end up eating more. These kinds of snacks just don’t have the nutrients that your body is looking for after a hard workout. They’re meant more for quick fuel, not post exercise repairs and recovery.
Really Bad Post Workout Meals
This includes all those silly sports drinks like Gatorade and Redbull. They’re nothing but sugar and caffeine. Don’t drink them, ever! Seriously, I can’t tell you how often I see people chugging these down after a workout. They’ve basically bought into the advertising that says, this is what athletes drink. Well, first of all, no athlete in their right mind drinks crap like Redbull. Second, drinks like Gatorade are meant for really long cardio workouts during which your body is almost completely drained. So if you’re running a serious number of miles a day, maybe a bit of Gatorade is ok. For the rest of us who just workout like normal people, water is just fine as a post workout drink.
Good Post Workout Meals
The combo that Iike is a good source of protein combined with some healthy carbs. The carbs restore my energy levels, while the protein st repairing the damage to my muscles. So far, the best meal I’ve found is two scrambled eggs on some whole wheat toast with veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers. It’s amazing how tasty that sandwich is after some gym time. Calorie wise, it’s not too bad. Depending on the bread and the number of eggs you use, it’s going to be somewhere from 300 to 500 calories. However, those calories are healthy, and they’ll have you feeling full and satisfied. If you’re not a vegetarian like me, feel free to switch out the eggs for a healthy portion of lean protein like turkey. Just don’t go crazy with the cheeses and other sandwich fillers that tend to add too many calories for their volume.
Summary
Just remember, a workout is not an excuse to overeat or eat unhealthy. Don’t undo everything you’ve accomplished in the gym with your very first drink or meal.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Dec
9
I’m applying to grad school this year and I’ve spent the last two weeks working on my essays. It’s a long process and I can’t really say that I’m enjoying it. On the plus side, it’s made me look at myself a bit better and figure out what I like and don’t like about my life. On the downside, oh wow there’s a lot of work! Oh well, I got through worse and school is definitely worth it. Plus it makes writing posts for 60 in 3 even more fun because I see them as taking a break from writing school essays. And with that, here are some articles from this week I thought you would find useful:
I am not a big fan of the low carb diet, but I found this article from one low carb blog to be an amazing read. It’s an editorial and it basically talks about how low carb, low fat or low anything is just a trap. They’re all used by the food industry to make you think you can eat more while still losing weight. That’s simply not true. You want to lose weight, eat less and eat healthier.
@Common Voice
From China, we have this article about how fitness contributes more to health than being thin. In other words, it’s better to be slightly overweight but in shape than skinny and out of shape. I think we’ve forgotten that here in the US. We focus too much on losing weight and we’ve lost sight of the fact that being healthy is about more than being skinny.
@Xinhua Net
From the Diet Blog we have this article about goal setting. I think goal setting is an important but often overlooked part of getting back in shape. Too many people try to turn their lives around with a simple thought of “I’m going to get healthy” or “I want to be more fit.” That’s great but it’s not enough. You need specific and realistic goals with a timeline. Anything else is too vague to really help.
@The Diet Blog
And if we’re talking about specific goals, here’s my current one. This is a link to the Maui Marathon in September of 2008. I’m going to start training for it in March of this year. I have a specific goal for how fast I want to run the race and this gives me something to train for. I know exactly what I need to do and by when. That’s a much better goal than just “I want to get in shape.” That link includes a registration by the way. Maybe I’ll see some of you there. And if marathons aren’t your thing, check out the rest of active.com for more events you may wish to register for.
@Active.com
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Dec
7
Healthy Gifts For Adults
Filed Under Health, Money | 6 Comments
After talking earlier this week about healthy toy options for kids, I happened to find this article about healthy gift options for adults. I read through it and was amazed at the sheer amount of junk people try to sell these days. Stylish calf skin gym bag?!? Seriously? I’m not sure who came up with this list of gifts but they seem crazy to me. I suppose if you have an extra $20,000 to spend you may want to consider an “elite gym membership” but I happen to have better things to do with my money. So I went ahead and made my own list of good gifts for the fitness inclined. I’m linking to Amazon items here, but you can also find these items at most sporting goods stores. I’m also linking to a lot of places which are local to me here in the SF bay area. Obviously, if you live somewhere else, you’ll need to find your own local version of these, but I wanted to provide an example of what to look for.
Apex Polished Chrome Adjustable Dumbbell Set
Valeo Burst Resistant Body Ball (65 cm)
Valeo Speed Jump Rope
SPRI ES501R Xertube Resistance Band with Door Attachment and Exercise Charts (Red, Medium)
YOU: The Owner’s Manual: An Insider’s Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger
Dance Lessons - This link is for the Starlight Ballroom, a dance place in Sunnyvale, CA, but you can easily find similar places around your home. $10 to $20 a week is what dance lessons will cost you at a place like this. They’re fun and physically active. You can give them as gifts to people who aren’t that interested in fitness because it’s just a fun activity to do. They’ll never know you’re concerned about their health. 
Horseback Riding Lessons - Again, this is a link to a place close to where I live, but you can probably find places around you as well. Horse back riding, as my wife proved to me, is very good exercise for both adults and children. Why not give it a shot and see if you like it? It’s a bit more expensive than dance lessons but still more reasonable than buying a soloflex home gym system that will just end up collecting dust in the garage.
A Bike - This is my local bike store. They have a wide variety of bikes and a very helpful staff who’s always willing to help me pick out the right stuff. A bike makes an excellent gift because it’s practical as well as healthy. With gas prices soaring, bikes are a great way to save money while also getting a bit of exercise. You don’t have to look at the high end bikes which can cost multiple thousands of dollars. A good commute bike can cost around $100 or you can find them even cheaper if you look for used bikes on places like Craig’s List.
Summary
All of these gift ideas are cheap and healthy, proving that you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars just because your loved ones want healthy presents. If you have your own healthy gift idea, feel free to add it in the comments. Would love to see what other people are buying.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Dec
5
Healthy Toys
Filed Under Healthy Habits, Kids | 6 Comments
I had lunch the other day with a coworker and the conversation veered off towards Christmas and gift giving. My family, being from Israel, never really had a tradition of gift giving. So it always interests me to hear what other people intend to give and to who. At some point in the conversation, my coworker started talking about gifts for his 5 year old son. His ideas primarily revolved around DVD’s, computer games and toys.
This bothers me a bit. With everyone these days concerned about obesity and with plenty of studies that show healthier children do better in school and with relationships, why give gifts that encourage sitting around and doing nothing? So rather than complain, I put together a list of some simple gifts you may wish to consider for your child this holiday season.
A ball - Remember all those times you gave your kids a fancy present and they ended up liking the cardboard box better than the present? That’s because kids often like the simple things more than the complex and there’s simpler to play with than a ball. A ball can be as small as a tennis ball or as big as a soccer ball but it provides an endless amount of amusement. It can be played with alone or with friends. It can be something you take to the park with your kid and spend an hour kicking around. Best of all, it gets kids moving rather than keeps them sitting down.
Bike (or trike for the younger ones) - I got my first bike at five. It was a hand-me-down from my older brother. It had only one gear, a slightly rusty chain and an ugly purple paint job, but I loved it. I rode that thing everywhere. Again, a bike can be fun alone or with the entire family and it’s amazing exercise.
A Dog - You think I’m kidding aren’t you? You’re probably saying to yourself “yah right, I already have my hands full with the kids and now this mad man wants me to add a puppy to the insanity that is my life.” Well, there have been a number of recent studies that show animals help kids connect and form relationships. They keep them active and they also teach them how to care for things. Isn’t that better than teaching them how to press play on the DVD player? Who knows, maybe that dog can lower your stress level a bit too, and believe me, they mature a lot faster than your kids do. By the way, if you’re worried about the time investment, maybe you should consider getting an adult dog. They’re house broken and you don’t have to worry about training them. So your child gets a loving companion that will protect them while keeping them active and you get less poop on the carpet.
Rollerskates - No, not those annoying shoes with a rear wheel. I’m talking about real roller skates or blades here. They’re not quite as useful as a bike but they’ll still get your kid out from in front of that TV. Cheap too, especially when you compare the price to a new Playstation 3.
Summary
So there you go, four easy and cheap ideas for gifts that keep your kid active. Just remember, kids don’t really need a lot of fancy electronics to have fun. In fact, the simplest things are often more enjoyable than the latest technology or movie.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Dec
3
Performance Improvement and Workouts
Filed Under Editorial, Exercise, Motivation | 1 Comment
Last week I published my workout spreadsheet. I had a few questions about it which I plan on answering later this week, but one theme seemed to be repeated again and again. Specifically, I saw multiple questions about performance improvement.
One reader noted that the improvement tracking portion of the spreadsheet was not complete. It was only set up to track section of the workout and the graph was set up for only one exercise. This is because I added this section to my spreadsheet workout just to show everyone how I used to do it. I no longer track my performance improvement overtime, so I actually removed this portion of my spreadsheet months ago. I added it back in because I thought it would be useful for people who are just starting out.
Why Not Track Performance?
For me, performance tracking is no longer needed for a number of reasons. First of all, I’ve reached a point in my workout routine where performance increases in either number of reps or weight are coming very slowly. Perhaps once a month I will increase the weight I am doing in a specific exercise, but I don’t really need a spreadsheet to tell me when to do this, I just do it when things become too easy.
Second, and this might be more controversial, I’m just not that interested in increasing performance these days. I’ve reached a level of fitness that I’m very happy with. I’m far stronger, faster and have more endurance than I ever did. I have no intention of becoming a professional athlete, so why do I need to spend a considerable amount of time and effort for some marginal improvements that won’t make much of a difference?
Isn’t Improvement What It’s All About?
This is where I think some people lose their way. Once they start working out it becomes all about breaking through the next hurdle and getting better, faster and stronger. For me, it’s not about any of these things. Working out to me is a way of being healthy and fit. I don’t have to do a whole set of bench presses with my own body weight to be fit. I don’t have to run a mile in under 4 minutes to consider myself healthy. I’ve made incredible progress since that day 4 years ago when I barely made it up one flight of stairs and I’m quite happy with where I am. If I do continue to improve, that’s great, but that’s not my goal at this point. Right now, I just want to be healthy, stay fit and enjoy my life.
Is That True For Everyone?
Unfortunately, that’s not true for everyone. If you’re just starting out or in very bad shape, then yes, you will want to monitor your performance and try to improve it. That’s why I added that section to my spreadsheet, because I consider that very important when you first start working out. At that point you’re really not as fit as you should be and you need to improve.
Do As I Say and Not As I Do?
No, this isn’t quite a case of me telling you to do as I say but not as I do. This is me telling you to do as I say and as I did. I tracked my performance for around three years before I got to a point where I was comfortable saying “I’m in great shape, I no longer need to strain every day in an effort to improve.”
Which Isn’t an excuse to slack off by the way. I still workout just as often and just as hard. I still eat healthy and try to stay in shape and if I notice something getting too easy, I do increase the difficulty. I just don’t focus on performance improvement as my top goal right now. Perhaps when I start training for the Hawaii marathon I signed up for, performance improvement will become a more important goal again, but for now, I’m perfectly happy where I am.
Summary
Self improvement is a very worthwhile goal to pursue. However, there’s a point at which the returns you get on your time invested will get lower and lower. That’s the point where you need to decide, “is this the primary goal in my life?” If it is, then by all means, keep working at it. If it’s not, perhaps you should just look at how to best maintain your current level and start looking at other ways to improve yourself. As for me, I’m happy with my current level of fitness. I’m healthy, in shape and a whole lot happier than I used to be.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Dec
3
This somewhat late post comes to you courtesy of Catalina Island, where my wife and I spent the last three days. A bit cold but still fun. I was even convinced to get on stage at a karaoke bar and sing Warrant’s Cherry Pie. I think that means I had a great vacation.
And what that interesting visual, here are some articles I thought you might find useful.
This first article is from Inc.com. You wouldn’t expect a good article about fitness from a magazine about making money, but I found this one fascinating. Take a look at Mel Zuckerman’s story. Pay close attention to the “a-ha” moment he describes for himself and for his father. We all have these “ah-ha” moment sometimes, just make sure yours isn’t too late.
@Inc.com
From ICWales we have this article on sobering revelations about women and dieting. Some of these are a little scary. “More than half (53%) of those questioned said a diet to them meant eating less than 1,000 calories a day and a fifth (20%) said it was eating less than 800 calories a day”. This is just crazy and it’s not even the worst one on this list. If you know anyone who’s following some of the destructive items in this list, please do something to help. Don’t tell them that they’re wrong, you won’t get any results that way, just suggest that there’s a better way and try to help.
@ICWales
From FitSugar we have this article about quick bursts of exercise and are they as good as prolonged workouts. The answer seems to be, not quite as good but still far better than nothing. So if you don’t have time for that hour long workout today, why not do a few 5 minute workouts? It’s better than not doing anything at all.
@FitSugar
And I’m not a big fan of CNN, but to give them their due, this is a pretty decent list of eating tips right here. Nothing too new, but nice to see them all grouped up on one page.
@CNN
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
